David Leladze’s Marani
My winemaking history begins in 1900, when my great-grandfather Mikheil built a wine cellar in the village of Rokh, Imereti region. A considerable amount was produced and successfully sold in Georgia and Russia. Mikhail died at the age of 105, leaving behind the traditional cellar attributes and, most importantly, passed on to me the centuries-old wisdom and love of wine. Winemaking is my family's way of life. I am the 4th generation to carry on these traditions. My grandfather's father started winemaking in 1900 when he was 35 years old. In my basement there are pitchers bought in 1900 and a walnut press.
I have been engaged in winemaking and viticulture in my village for 44 years. However, it wasn't until 2019 that I decided to finally turn my passion into a business. In this short time, I have received three awards: Aladasturi 2020 harvest silver medal in Poland, where 260 samples from 21 countries participated, Tsitska 2021 harvest gold medal, Tsolikouri 2021 harvest in the "Jury's Choice" nomination. I exported to Germany in 2020-2021.
I have grown a vineyard on a plot of land of up to one hectare, where I use only biological preparations and produce four types of natural wine from Tsitska, Tsolikouri and Aladasturi grape varieties. Next year, I plan to plant a vineyard of the "Krakhuna" variety, from which high-quality white wine is made.
I make wine according to the old traditional method, 100% natural, only grape juice, I do not use any chemical additives, neither sulfur nor yeast.
Currently, I make wine in stainless steel tanks without chacha and claret, only grape juice, which gives the wine a light and sparkling taste, it is light and pleasant to drink. I prepare red wine with full chacha for 10 days. After that, I remove it from the pan and it continues to boil until the end.